He has a gift for both factual information, coupled with presenting an accurate perspective to current events as context.
He was never better than he is here:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Areola 51 | ||||
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Showing posts with label Chaz Bono. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chaz Bono. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Chaz Bono Controversy Continues--
I delight in the humor and satire of Jon Stewart.
He has a gift for both factual information, coupled with presenting an accurate perspective to current events as context.
He was never better than he is here:
He has a gift for both factual information, coupled with presenting an accurate perspective to current events as context.
He was never better than he is here:
Friday, September 23, 2011
That Chaz Jazz
Lewis Black does a great job of poking the sharp stick of humor in the eye of religious right wing hypocrisy, particularly over sexual hypocrisy. Bono - CHAZ, not the other individuals in the entertainment industry with the same last name - did quite well in the first round of dancing competition. Better than just scoring well with the judges, he wowed the crowd, and has gained the support of his competitors dancing on the show.
So, for all the stupid, intolerant and low-information bigots who got their sequined knickers in a twist over this-- here's Lewis Black to sort it out for you and provide some perspective on the conduct and character of past seasons casts.
I am a little surprised that this is considered all that suitable for children for other reasons having far more merit than the gender identity of Chaz Bono or the sexual orientation of other competitors past and present. We've had a few who's claim to fame has been primarily their sexual misadventures - like the recent prior season's Bristol Palin, who now speaks on premarital sex for a living, presumably only because she has a celebrity mom. It's not like she is particularly profound or gifted as a speaker, or that she has any unique insights that others don't also have. Bristol Palin went from a first night promise that she was going to only wear modest costumes, etc. to the final competition, where she went for the more sexually explicit, in both what she wore and in how she danced, in an effort to win.... so much for her good intentions.
But what kind of lesson is that for children, especially girls? Do we want to be promoting the position that it is acceptable to use sex, or to toss aside our morals easily? Is it desirable to promote the philosophy that girls and women have to compete with each other to be the most sexually provocative in order to succeed?
The programming is excellent in showcasing different styles of dancing, including sometimes providing an historical context for them. It encourages contestants to become comfortable in their bodies, and to become fit and graceful, and strong. They demonstrate excellent examples of how to deal with failures and misfortune and even injury with grace and character, as accidents and mistakes occur in the course of competition. I would hope in that regard that as the series season 13 progresses, that examples of this kind of character, like that exhibited by competitor J.R. Martinez, a badly scarred veteran of an IED explosion while serving in our military in Iraq that burned him over 40% of his body, might gain more equal attention from viewers with contestants with gender dysphoria, or for sexual orientation, like Carson Kressly (he is hilarious, btw).
The show could be just as entertaining if it had a little less of a leering sexual component, but it is within reasonable bounds for adults. It is less so for children as family viewing. THAT should be more of a focus for evaluating the programming as entertainment for kids, not ignorance about gender and sexual orientation.
The judges and the presenters make comments that are distinctly sexual in nature, and many of the dances are choreographed specifically for erotic content. If any of our readers have followed the international professional ball room dancing competitions, which have been carried on PBS stations in the past, this has been far less of a feature in those competitions - and not at all from the judging panels which focus much more on technical aspects exclusively. Which is good viewing for those who's appreciation for the art of Terpsichore is the reason for viewing.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Back in Black - Threats to America's Children | ||||
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Sunday, September 18, 2011
Dancing
The following is reposted from Huffington Post; as I have posted here before, what is written here about children is equally true of sexual orientation. We need to have more enlightened, more scientifically sound ideas about sex, as understood by psychology and medical sciences, but also sociology and anthropology, rather than religious or ideologically intolerant views of human sexuality.
That fundamentalist Christians and other right wing religious extremists, under the guise of loving God, would think it makes sense to issue death threats only underlines the same, if more subtle, prejudices that we should all oppose.
Gender and sexual orientation are not learned, they are not contagious. They are not facets of human beings that are as simplistic as the intolerant on the right (or occasionally, on the left or the center) would like to believe.
Rather, the younger that children are able to talk about how they feel inside, the better they handle their differences as they mature, the happier - and healthier - they are, throughout their lives.
It is every day life, and how we respond, that instills ideas and ideals in children. Sometimes it is not the lesson that is intended that is learned, but a different lesson. The lesson here can too easily be that children who do not conform will be hated, and unloved by members of their family - and God. How harsh, how harmful, how alienating is that?
The following article is by Dr. Diane Ehrensaft, whose speciality is gender and sexuality. Unlike the wacko psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Ablow over on Faux News, who has come out against Chaz Bono's sexual reassignment, and particularly his inclusion on this season's Dancing with the Stars television programming, her written position is consistent with the positions of mainstream psychology and pediatric medicine.
The right seems to thrive by presenting the views of scientists who disagree with the overwhelming mainstream, and then try to pretend to themselves that somehow proves a lack of consensus. A consensus is the overwhelming agreement, not perfect unanimity of views. At some stage of research and knowledge, there is no reasonable belief in the outliers, or in the extreme minority oppinion. It is as true of sexuality as it is true relating to climate change / global warming.
This is consistently the opposite of the anti-science demographic on the right.
We have a wondrous diversity in humanity, including our sexuality and physical appearance. We should be celebrating it, not stifling it.
All Kids Deserve to Reach for the Stars -- and Dance With Them, Too
by Diane Ehrensaft, PhD.Developmental and clinical psychologist
For many viewers of ABC's mega-hit series Dancing With the Stars, the announcement that this season's roster of contestants would include Chaz Bono, the son of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, marked a historic decision and a milestone for transgender people. To some, it made a less than welcome addition to the fall television line-up.
One viewer comment online stood out for me, given my work with gender non-conforming and transgender children and their families: "YOUR choice to bring Chaz Bono into the mix goes too far. I am not about to risk the potential for on screen dialogue about sex changes and gender confusion while my 7 and 9 year old are watching."
It is time to address and make sense of the outcry over whether "sex changes and gender confusion" are inappropriate subjects for young children. Let's talk about the real reality here -- how damaging and dangerous those comments are to the thousands of transgender and gender-nonconforming children out there who live their everyday lives among the adults who are so agitated by Chaz's participation as a dance partner.
Over the years, I have worked with so many children who, often from ages much earlier than 7, did not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. These children are not merely boys who play with Barbies or girls who play with trucks; they insist on dressing a certain way and being referred to with the pronouns of the gender they see themselves as, which is opposite the one others think they are. They are not "acting out" or mentally ill. They are simply children who are telling us who they really are. Contrary to the viewer's concerns that her children will be damaged by being exposed to a grown-up who is just like the transgender children I work with, seeing Chaz dance with the stars provides a wonderful opportunity for all children to be able to see a transgender role model on television and open up a conversation about gender diversity and gender acceptance.
These conversations are already happening as more and more parents, families, and schools all around the country are learning to embrace and support the transgender children in their communities and beyond, even in the face of a larger world that is not so accepting.
For example, in Ohio, a 10-year-old girl named Jackie was born as Jack. For years, he was interested in his sister's things -- dolls, tutus, and playing dress-up. These interests didn't go away. And as children so often do, his peers teased him for not conforming to how boys were "supposed to" behave. After Jack began having panic attacks, his parents realized that they needed to let him live as Jackie, the girl she was, her "true gender self." Today, Jackie is far happier and far more popular, even as two of her grandparents have struggled to accept her as their granddaughter rather than grandson.
What do stories like Jackie's tell us? For the children I work with, being transgender is not a choice; it is simply an intrinsic part of who they really are as a person. Their identity does not come from imitating a transgender celebrity on TV. It comes from within, sometimes as early as the first year of life, when the children begin to reject the activities or behavior expected of them based on the gender assigned to them at birth. For their parents, it is often a shock and surprise, whenever it shows up, and it is the parents' job, along with all the rest of us, to listen carefully to what the children are telling us and learn how to help the children let their true gender selves come out.
Some would suggest that these children be forced into therapy to "cure" their condition. And often, this impulse comes from a desire to protect children from a world that can be incredibly cruel to those who don't conform. But it is anything but beneficial for children to deny their true gender -- protect it from harm, perhaps; but suppress or deny it, never.
Few of us who are not transgender can relate to the feeling that you are living in the wrong body, but that is what transgender boys and girls who have not transitioned must live through every day. The "boy" who tells us that he is actually a girl is telling us something that we would be wise to heed -- because as I have seen all too often, telling this child to suppress himself can lead to anxiety, depression and even to attempting suicide as a way out.
Transgender children, just as much as transgender adults, endure great adversity as they strive to live as the gender they are. But they are not fundamentally so different from other boys and girls. These children need support in a world that may treat them harshly for not fitting perfectly into the "boy" or "girl" gender boxes. We would all do well to recognize that, and to treat our transgender children, friends, and, yes, celebrities with a basic level of respect for their identities.
We seldom discuss these subjects with our children. But for our children's sake, we should, and Chaz Bono dancing with the stars provides the perfect opportunity, as we envision what a wonderful world it will be when all genders have equal footing on the dance floor.
That fundamentalist Christians and other right wing religious extremists, under the guise of loving God, would think it makes sense to issue death threats only underlines the same, if more subtle, prejudices that we should all oppose.
Gender and sexual orientation are not learned, they are not contagious. They are not facets of human beings that are as simplistic as the intolerant on the right (or occasionally, on the left or the center) would like to believe.
Rather, the younger that children are able to talk about how they feel inside, the better they handle their differences as they mature, the happier - and healthier - they are, throughout their lives.
It is every day life, and how we respond, that instills ideas and ideals in children. Sometimes it is not the lesson that is intended that is learned, but a different lesson. The lesson here can too easily be that children who do not conform will be hated, and unloved by members of their family - and God. How harsh, how harmful, how alienating is that?
 |
| Dr. Ehrensaft |
 |
| Dr. Ablow |
The right seems to thrive by presenting the views of scientists who disagree with the overwhelming mainstream, and then try to pretend to themselves that somehow proves a lack of consensus. A consensus is the overwhelming agreement, not perfect unanimity of views. At some stage of research and knowledge, there is no reasonable belief in the outliers, or in the extreme minority oppinion. It is as true of sexuality as it is true relating to climate change / global warming.
This is consistently the opposite of the anti-science demographic on the right.
We have a wondrous diversity in humanity, including our sexuality and physical appearance. We should be celebrating it, not stifling it.
All Kids Deserve to Reach for the Stars -- and Dance With Them, Too
by Diane Ehrensaft, PhD.Developmental and clinical psychologist
For many viewers of ABC's mega-hit series Dancing With the Stars, the announcement that this season's roster of contestants would include Chaz Bono, the son of Cher and the late Sonny Bono, marked a historic decision and a milestone for transgender people. To some, it made a less than welcome addition to the fall television line-up.
One viewer comment online stood out for me, given my work with gender non-conforming and transgender children and their families: "YOUR choice to bring Chaz Bono into the mix goes too far. I am not about to risk the potential for on screen dialogue about sex changes and gender confusion while my 7 and 9 year old are watching."
It is time to address and make sense of the outcry over whether "sex changes and gender confusion" are inappropriate subjects for young children. Let's talk about the real reality here -- how damaging and dangerous those comments are to the thousands of transgender and gender-nonconforming children out there who live their everyday lives among the adults who are so agitated by Chaz's participation as a dance partner.
Over the years, I have worked with so many children who, often from ages much earlier than 7, did not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. These children are not merely boys who play with Barbies or girls who play with trucks; they insist on dressing a certain way and being referred to with the pronouns of the gender they see themselves as, which is opposite the one others think they are. They are not "acting out" or mentally ill. They are simply children who are telling us who they really are. Contrary to the viewer's concerns that her children will be damaged by being exposed to a grown-up who is just like the transgender children I work with, seeing Chaz dance with the stars provides a wonderful opportunity for all children to be able to see a transgender role model on television and open up a conversation about gender diversity and gender acceptance.
These conversations are already happening as more and more parents, families, and schools all around the country are learning to embrace and support the transgender children in their communities and beyond, even in the face of a larger world that is not so accepting.
For example, in Ohio, a 10-year-old girl named Jackie was born as Jack. For years, he was interested in his sister's things -- dolls, tutus, and playing dress-up. These interests didn't go away. And as children so often do, his peers teased him for not conforming to how boys were "supposed to" behave. After Jack began having panic attacks, his parents realized that they needed to let him live as Jackie, the girl she was, her "true gender self." Today, Jackie is far happier and far more popular, even as two of her grandparents have struggled to accept her as their granddaughter rather than grandson.
What do stories like Jackie's tell us? For the children I work with, being transgender is not a choice; it is simply an intrinsic part of who they really are as a person. Their identity does not come from imitating a transgender celebrity on TV. It comes from within, sometimes as early as the first year of life, when the children begin to reject the activities or behavior expected of them based on the gender assigned to them at birth. For their parents, it is often a shock and surprise, whenever it shows up, and it is the parents' job, along with all the rest of us, to listen carefully to what the children are telling us and learn how to help the children let their true gender selves come out.
Some would suggest that these children be forced into therapy to "cure" their condition. And often, this impulse comes from a desire to protect children from a world that can be incredibly cruel to those who don't conform. But it is anything but beneficial for children to deny their true gender -- protect it from harm, perhaps; but suppress or deny it, never.
Few of us who are not transgender can relate to the feeling that you are living in the wrong body, but that is what transgender boys and girls who have not transitioned must live through every day. The "boy" who tells us that he is actually a girl is telling us something that we would be wise to heed -- because as I have seen all too often, telling this child to suppress himself can lead to anxiety, depression and even to attempting suicide as a way out.
Transgender children, just as much as transgender adults, endure great adversity as they strive to live as the gender they are. But they are not fundamentally so different from other boys and girls. These children need support in a world that may treat them harshly for not fitting perfectly into the "boy" or "girl" gender boxes. We would all do well to recognize that, and to treat our transgender children, friends, and, yes, celebrities with a basic level of respect for their identities.
We seldom discuss these subjects with our children. But for our children's sake, we should, and Chaz Bono dancing with the stars provides the perfect opportunity, as we envision what a wonderful world it will be when all genders have equal footing on the dance floor.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Keep On Dancing
I have a guilty pleasure. I watch Dancing with the Stars. It started as a friendly betting pool at the office every week where a friend of mine works. Now we watch it together every Monday and Tuesday night when it is on, and discuss how we think the voting will go, with an eye towards who will win the office pool that week.
The prize? A candy bar.
And bragging rights, such as they are, which isn't much. It is a good natured fun thing to do, a friendly rivalry, not serious gambling, obviously. So in that context, there is a very laid back sort of anticipation for each season's announcement of the cast for dancing with the stars.
I use the word 'stars' advisedly, because there are some people who are little known outside of a very narrow demographic, people who when they are announced receive the reaction of "WHO? Who the heck is THAT?". This is so much the case, that with each season I wonder anew if they have finally scraped the bottom of the celebrity and pseudo-celebrity barrel.
But Chaz Bono, formerly Chastity Bono was a name that I did recognize. I'm not convinced being the offspring of someone famous is a valid basis for claiming celebrity status rather than doing something famous in your own right. But as the child of Cher and Sonny Bono, as a little kid, Chastity did appear on national television, beginning at an early age (here, around age 3):
and has appeared from time to time on television and radio since, and has written a book, appeared in a documentary, and has worked as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign.
And here, as an adult, left as Chaz, right as Chastity:
which at least seems to me to be more 'celebrity' than Bristol Palin from a recent season, whose sole claim to fame has been to get pregnant as a teen out of wedlock, like her mom, and to have a famous parent in politics.
The addition of Chaz Bono has actually eclipsed the inclusion of the second gay man on DWTS, the flamboyant author, actor, equestrian (yes, equestrian) Carson Kressley from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. It has largely passed beneath the radar in light of the controversy over including Chaz Bono, who as Chastity Bono was openly lesbian, that DWTS actually rendered a policy decision on same sex couples dancing. Because some of the professional dancers/ teacher partners HAVE spoken out that they were willing to dance with someone of the same gender.
The controversy stems from a uniquely right wing slice of intolerant bigots, ranging from the group Million moms, an astroturf group fronted by the religious right wing extremists of the American Family Association's One Million Moms / One Milion Dad's web site project (noted for their support of Perry and other right wing extremist candidates), to the statements by Fox News psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow - who should know better. The American Family Association are the same group of intolerant people who protested muslim Keith Ellison being sworn into office as the Congressman from Minnesota using the Koran from the library of Thomas Jefferson. If you are not familiar with Ablow, he was the guy who went off his nut over the JCrew ad that showed a mom painting her son's toes pink with nail polish, claiming she was going to turn him gay.
Ablow asserts that if you let your children watch Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars, they might experience gender confusion, and that girls will want to amputate their breasts and boys will want to amputate their penises through some sort of implausible favorable association.
It is worth noting that the views expressed by Ablow conflict with the position of every major medical and psychological organization in the U.S., and the rest of the world. It is driven by ideology and religion, not science and medicine. Ablow's views are simply stupid, wrong, and nasty.
Quite the opposite is true; those who experience gender disphoria, the technical name for people who are trapped in the wrong gender body, often recognize this disconnect when they are younger. The younger the age at which these kids identify what it is they feel, the better the probability of successfully addressing it. The risk of suicide is unusually high among those who experience gender dysphoria compared to the general populaton.
Now personally, what would excite me would be if they could get comedian Stephen Colbert on for a season, because for all of his clowning around, he has occasionally demonstrated a very real ability to dance. And he would be capable of being both funny and charming, which is largely along with sexy costumes and personality very much what the show works on to involve the viewers, not just the dancing.
But for Chaz Bono to be the preeminent controversy of this season?
Seriously?
This sadly reflects the prejudices, and even more than bias and bigotry, the ignorance among segments of our society, largely conservative segments, about gender and sexuality. These are not issues unique to homo sapiens; they are mirrored in other species as well. This is a big topic for ignorance.
Chaz Bono is one of those very articulate people who describe having a different sexual orientation from an early age, a very very early age.
I don't know or care to know if Chaz Bono is one of those individuals who are born with gender ambivalence, lacking a clear gender, or what his complement of chromosomes are (XX, XY, or some other combination including extras).
But more generally I am aware that there are conditions such as Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, where a person may be born genetically male, with an X and Y chromosome, but a resistance to androgens which are responsible for the development of male characteristics. This is just one of the reasons people seek gender reassignment surgery. A few details:
Or apparently, it is a reason to be boycotted on a silly reality tv show.
I am appalled that someone can be fired for making an intensely personal decision, whether it is a matter of choice where a person is trying to reconcile their perceived subjective internal gender, or of medical necessity because of being born with gender ambiguity or hermaphrodism, that a person is transgender.
This should be a personal matter, something which is resolved by each individual for themselves, with the assistance they seek from family, friends, and health care professionals. This should not be a choice over which other people have a vote, or over which other people can deny someone employment, housing, civil rights or anything else.
In the quick research that I did for this post, I noted that there have been any number of individuals who have been the target of talk, and finger pointing, in their careers over their suspected sexuality. Jaime Lee Curtis, aka Lady Haden-Guest (her husband, actor Christopher Guest is Baron Haden-Guest) which makes her both British nobility and second generation Hollywood 'nobility' (such as it is). Then we have the rumors about Lady Gaga of the gender and sexuality anthem 'Born this Way', along with model and 'Bond Girl' Grace Jones, Ciara, Megan Fox. Back in their day the same rumors about gender and sexuality were circulated around genuine celebrities like Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and Mae West.
Our sexuality is a deeply personal issue, and any decisions someone makes about this aspect of themselves is no one else's business but their own. We can like or dislike them as human beings for other reasons, but their sexuality should not be one of them. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous I Have a Dream speech wrote about the importance of judging people on the content of their character. There was never a better time for that than here, on a silly entertainment series that is supposed to be about people learning to dance.
But I came across a better quotation from the late civil rights martyr that even better crystallizes how we should approach our human differences, how we should embrace each other as human beings:
Chaz Bono, I wish you a very good time on Dancing with the Stars, regardless of how well you do in the series as a competitor. Regardless of whether you turn out to be an excellent dancer, or have two left feet, I applaud you for your grace under the onslaught of hateful, narrow-minded bigotry and ignorance that is being heaped on you before the first episode of this show even airs.
Chaz Bono, good luck and god bless. And if you happen to win someone a candy bar along the way, or a hideously ugly mirrored ball trophy, that would be great, but extra. What this is perhaps a better opportunity to do is to push back against ignorance and intolerance and hatred justified by craziness posing as religion.
The prize? A candy bar.
And bragging rights, such as they are, which isn't much. It is a good natured fun thing to do, a friendly rivalry, not serious gambling, obviously. So in that context, there is a very laid back sort of anticipation for each season's announcement of the cast for dancing with the stars.
I use the word 'stars' advisedly, because there are some people who are little known outside of a very narrow demographic, people who when they are announced receive the reaction of "WHO? Who the heck is THAT?". This is so much the case, that with each season I wonder anew if they have finally scraped the bottom of the celebrity and pseudo-celebrity barrel.
But Chaz Bono, formerly Chastity Bono was a name that I did recognize. I'm not convinced being the offspring of someone famous is a valid basis for claiming celebrity status rather than doing something famous in your own right. But as the child of Cher and Sonny Bono, as a little kid, Chastity did appear on national television, beginning at an early age (here, around age 3):
and has appeared from time to time on television and radio since, and has written a book, appeared in a documentary, and has worked as a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign.
And here, as an adult, left as Chaz, right as Chastity:
which at least seems to me to be more 'celebrity' than Bristol Palin from a recent season, whose sole claim to fame has been to get pregnant as a teen out of wedlock, like her mom, and to have a famous parent in politics.
The addition of Chaz Bono has actually eclipsed the inclusion of the second gay man on DWTS, the flamboyant author, actor, equestrian (yes, equestrian) Carson Kressley from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. It has largely passed beneath the radar in light of the controversy over including Chaz Bono, who as Chastity Bono was openly lesbian, that DWTS actually rendered a policy decision on same sex couples dancing. Because some of the professional dancers/ teacher partners HAVE spoken out that they were willing to dance with someone of the same gender.
The controversy stems from a uniquely right wing slice of intolerant bigots, ranging from the group Million moms, an astroturf group fronted by the religious right wing extremists of the American Family Association's One Million Moms / One Milion Dad's web site project (noted for their support of Perry and other right wing extremist candidates), to the statements by Fox News psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow - who should know better. The American Family Association are the same group of intolerant people who protested muslim Keith Ellison being sworn into office as the Congressman from Minnesota using the Koran from the library of Thomas Jefferson. If you are not familiar with Ablow, he was the guy who went off his nut over the JCrew ad that showed a mom painting her son's toes pink with nail polish, claiming she was going to turn him gay.
Ablow asserts that if you let your children watch Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars, they might experience gender confusion, and that girls will want to amputate their breasts and boys will want to amputate their penises through some sort of implausible favorable association.
It is worth noting that the views expressed by Ablow conflict with the position of every major medical and psychological organization in the U.S., and the rest of the world. It is driven by ideology and religion, not science and medicine. Ablow's views are simply stupid, wrong, and nasty.
Quite the opposite is true; those who experience gender disphoria, the technical name for people who are trapped in the wrong gender body, often recognize this disconnect when they are younger. The younger the age at which these kids identify what it is they feel, the better the probability of successfully addressing it. The risk of suicide is unusually high among those who experience gender dysphoria compared to the general populaton.
Now personally, what would excite me would be if they could get comedian Stephen Colbert on for a season, because for all of his clowning around, he has occasionally demonstrated a very real ability to dance. And he would be capable of being both funny and charming, which is largely along with sexy costumes and personality very much what the show works on to involve the viewers, not just the dancing.
But for Chaz Bono to be the preeminent controversy of this season?
Seriously?
This sadly reflects the prejudices, and even more than bias and bigotry, the ignorance among segments of our society, largely conservative segments, about gender and sexuality. These are not issues unique to homo sapiens; they are mirrored in other species as well. This is a big topic for ignorance.
Chaz Bono is one of those very articulate people who describe having a different sexual orientation from an early age, a very very early age.
I don't know or care to know if Chaz Bono is one of those individuals who are born with gender ambivalence, lacking a clear gender, or what his complement of chromosomes are (XX, XY, or some other combination including extras).
But more generally I am aware that there are conditions such as Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, where a person may be born genetically male, with an X and Y chromosome, but a resistance to androgens which are responsible for the development of male characteristics. This is just one of the reasons people seek gender reassignment surgery. A few details:
Androgen insensitivity syndromeSexuality and orientation, and gender identity are not simple, they are not black and white issues; they occur across a spectrum of possibilities, and there are many variations which occur. Sadly, among the ignorant, particularly the anti-science crowd, there are a lot of unwarranted judgements and assumptions made. And those assumptions carry with them some very punitive actions. For example, it was noted in an article on this controversy on the msnbc.com website, that simply being a transgender person is a legitimate reason for someone to be fired from their employment in 35 states.
Definition
Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is when a person who is genetically male (has one X and one Y chromosome) is resistant to male hormones called androgens. As a result, the person has some or all of the physical characteristics of a woman, despite having the genetic makeup of a man.
Causes
Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is caused by various genetic defects on the X chromosome that make the body unable to respond to the hormones responsible for the male appearance.
Complete androgen insensitivity prevents the development of the penis and other male body parts. The child born appears to be a girl. The complete form of the syndrome occurs in as many as 1 in 20,000 live births.
The degree of sexual ambiguity varies widely in persons with incomplete AIS. Incomplete AIS can include other disorders such as Reifenstein syndrome (also known as Gilbert-Dreyfus syndrome or Lubs syndrome), which is associated with breast development in men, failure of one or both testes to descend into the scrotum after birth, and hypospadias, a condition where the opening of the urethra is on the underside, rather than at the tip, of the penis.
Symptoms
A person with complete AIS appears to be female but has no uterus, and has very little armpit and pubic hair. At puberty, female secondary sex characteristics (such as breasts) develop, but menstruation and fertility do not.
Persons with incomplete AIS may have both male and female physical characteristics. Many have partial closing of the outer vaginal lips, an enlarged clitoris, and a short vagina.
There may be:
•A vagina but no cervix or uterus
•Inguinal hernia with a testis that can be felt during a physical exam
•Normal female breast development
•Testes in the abdomen or other unusual places in the body
Exams and Tests
Complete AIS is rarely discovered during childhood, unless a mass is felt in the abdomen or groin that turns out to be a testicle when it is explored surgically. Most people with this condition are not diagnosed until they fail to menstruate or have difficulties becoming pregnant.
Incomplete AIS, however, is often discovered during childhood because the person may have both male and female physical characteristics.
Treatment
Unusually located testicular tissue may not be removed until a child completes puberty and growth is complete. At this time, the testis may be removed because they can develop cancer like any undescended testicle.
Estrogen replacement is prescribed after puberty.
Treatment and gender assignment can be a very complex issue, and must be individualized with great care.
References
Wysolmerski JJ. Insogna KL. The parathyroid glands, hypercalcemia, and hypocalcemia. In: Kronenberg HM, Schlomo M, Polansky KS, Larsen PR, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2008:chap 266.
Bringhurst FR, Demay MB, Kronenberg HM. Disorders of mineral metabolism. In: Kronenberg HM, Schlomo M, Polansky KS, Larsen PR, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 11th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2008:chap 27.
Or apparently, it is a reason to be boycotted on a silly reality tv show.
I am appalled that someone can be fired for making an intensely personal decision, whether it is a matter of choice where a person is trying to reconcile their perceived subjective internal gender, or of medical necessity because of being born with gender ambiguity or hermaphrodism, that a person is transgender.
This should be a personal matter, something which is resolved by each individual for themselves, with the assistance they seek from family, friends, and health care professionals. This should not be a choice over which other people have a vote, or over which other people can deny someone employment, housing, civil rights or anything else.
In the quick research that I did for this post, I noted that there have been any number of individuals who have been the target of talk, and finger pointing, in their careers over their suspected sexuality. Jaime Lee Curtis, aka Lady Haden-Guest (her husband, actor Christopher Guest is Baron Haden-Guest) which makes her both British nobility and second generation Hollywood 'nobility' (such as it is). Then we have the rumors about Lady Gaga of the gender and sexuality anthem 'Born this Way', along with model and 'Bond Girl' Grace Jones, Ciara, Megan Fox. Back in their day the same rumors about gender and sexuality were circulated around genuine celebrities like Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and Mae West.
Our sexuality is a deeply personal issue, and any decisions someone makes about this aspect of themselves is no one else's business but their own. We can like or dislike them as human beings for other reasons, but their sexuality should not be one of them. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous I Have a Dream speech wrote about the importance of judging people on the content of their character. There was never a better time for that than here, on a silly entertainment series that is supposed to be about people learning to dance.
But I came across a better quotation from the late civil rights martyr that even better crystallizes how we should approach our human differences, how we should embrace each other as human beings:
"All I'm saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated, that somehow we're caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality."I cannot think of truer words that equally apply to people coming to terms with their sexuality, whatever that might be, as a facet of who they are, of reconciling their emotional, psychological and physical, and yes, spiritual selves.
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Chaz Bono, I wish you a very good time on Dancing with the Stars, regardless of how well you do in the series as a competitor. Regardless of whether you turn out to be an excellent dancer, or have two left feet, I applaud you for your grace under the onslaught of hateful, narrow-minded bigotry and ignorance that is being heaped on you before the first episode of this show even airs.
Chaz Bono, good luck and god bless. And if you happen to win someone a candy bar along the way, or a hideously ugly mirrored ball trophy, that would be great, but extra. What this is perhaps a better opportunity to do is to push back against ignorance and intolerance and hatred justified by craziness posing as religion.
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